Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].

The Leaning Cask Brewing Company opened in 2016, in Springdale, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. Owners Josh and Stefanie Lipke traveled to England many times and sought to bring their love of the English pub culture to the Pittsburgh area. The Leaning Cask makes a wide variety of styles but specializes in English brewing methods, they also serve traditional English cask-conditioned ales. Josh is the head brewer at The Leaning Cask, read more to find out how he was introduced to craft beer, where he sees the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

The first craft beer I experienced that really caught my attention was probably Stone RuinTen. I had some others before that but this what really blew my mind at the time.

How did you get started as a brewer?

I love to cook and often thought I may be a chef professionally but in the few jobs I held in the restaurant industry I realized I didn’t have the love for it commercially that I do for brewing now. I think it was a combination of my newfound love for beer and an extension of my cooking background that first led me to give it a try as a homebrewer, and from there it escalated quickly. From the first batch, I was all in, expanding my system seeming daily with a more and more elaborate setup. Eventually, it got damn near out of control, and I took over the garage and half my basement, making more beer than my neighbors and I could possibly consume.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

I’m a hop head at heart and I think the pale ale/IPA platform really allows for a ton of creativity it’s just a solid base that you can vary everything from hop profiles to a wide variety of gravities. It plays well with fruits and just about anything you can throw at it.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

I was really into English beers especially cask ale when I first started brewing, in fact, that affinity for cask ale is what eventually led to what is now The Leaning Cask. So naturally the first was actually an English Bitter with all Fuggles hops. It was a partial mash kit and it wasn’t great if I’m being honest. But at the time I thought it was liquid gold, and that’s pretty much the experience the first time around. From there I went straight to all-grain set up started honing in on temp control and water chem, things improved drastically and I quickly learned the importance of attention to detail and the power of cleanliness and creating as controlled of an environment as possible.

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

There certainly is a lot of opinions on this subject, it’s a question that is popping up more and more often. For me I see more growth, I don’t think the craft world is going anywhere soon and I do feel there is more room for new breweries, however, I do think we are going to start seeing breweries sell or in some cases merge. We have seen some of the later already take place to protect against the “Big Beer Takeover”. For me personally, I love to see new places, I love the variety and I often compare it to what we saw happen in the restaurant world, especially here in Pittsburgh over the last decade. There is a new restaurant opening seemingly every other week and yet everyone is uniquely different. Every chef has their own creative pulse to lend to their art and it allows for endless options and experiences. I think that is where we are and where we are heading.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.

It’s exciting for sure; the PA scene is for me just getting rolling and although we have had a great start I think there are great things to come. Being a part of the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild is also something that I am behind and think some great things will be coming out of our efforts. It’s a rare thing in a competing industry to have 36 different Owners/Brewers together and working in collaboration to better the industry as a whole.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

Plain and simple dogs. My wife and I have always loved dogs and they hold a special place in our hearts. We very early on in the homebrew days new we like the idea of using breed name and plays on dog commands etc. as a source for naming conventions. Our time in London also further strengthened this idea in that every pub you walked into over there was dog-friendly and really drove home the feel of what we were trying to create here at The Cask, Traditional English Brewing Methods combined with modern American influence on style and flavor!

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

I’m on the Haze Train, although I will shift gears and mix it up from time to time with a solid traditional Stout or even a Dry English Cider for Premier League games….Come on You Spurs!

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

Staying open-minded on new styles and trends across the industry. Really just trying to sort through what makes sense for us while keeping in mind an ever-changing demand for new and unique products. The challenge of balancing our vision with the industry demand. 

Thank you to Josh for talking with us! Make sure you visit The Leaning Cask Brewing Company for all the latest beers, news, information and special events. And also follow Leaning Cask on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!